Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the outset, let me thank you for your leadership of this session. I also extend my Group's appreciation for the statement made by the Under-Secretary-General of DESA Mr. Sha Zukang. The Group wishes to thank also the distinguished panelists for their useful presentations on the theme under discussion.

Mr. Chairman,

2. Chemicals are of great importance to the industrial and agricultural sectors of developing countries because of their relevance in industrial production processes and also as input to agriculture production in form of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. It is an important area for developing countries which are now industrializing.

Mr. Chairman,

3. The sound management of chemicals as mentioned in the Johannesburg Plan of Action on Chemicals is critical for sustainable development, and strengthened efforts are desirable for this at both the national and international levels. However, the progress in this regard is not sufficient. In developing countries we are witnessing the implications of the poor management of chemicals for the health and welfare of millions of people. Most developing countries have inadequate financial resources and technical capacity to handle such materials and lack adequate information on the potential health and environmental risks associated with them. This has resulted in the improper management of chemicals in developing countries. The majority of the people in these countries are, therefore, vulnerable to the adverse effects of toxic chemicals as they work in agricultural sectors and even lack the basic knowledge of properly handling them.

4. To resolve this challenge, we believe that broader dissemination of information on chemical safety and the potential hazardous chemicals in products as well as the strengthening of cooperative action on the issues such as biotechnology, e-waste and others can enhance the management of such chemicals in a sustainable manner. In this regard, attention should be also given to the effective implementation of the Basel Convention and in particular, to need to reach a common understanding of the provisions relating to the definition of hazardous wastes and other wastes. Transfer of technology and technical cooperation along with adequate financial support can enable to appropriately manage such chemicals. Therefore, there is a strong need to make a concerted effort to reduce the risks of toxic chemicals.

Mr. Chairman,

5. It is also equally important to make the links between the sound management of chemicals and poverty eradication more visible. Few developing countries have the required legal, institutional, technical capacities or adequate laboratory capacities to monitor chemicals in the environment. Even when risks of certain chemicals to human health and environment are known, it is often difficult for developing countries to replace these toxic chemicals as they are highly effective and cheap to produce.

6. We believe that due to importance of chemicals, this policy session should culminate in the identification of policy options to address:

i) Private sector role in the thematic subject of Chemicals.
ii) Better regulatory systems which demand inclusion of recycling of byproducts of chemical plants in their investment hence avoiding dangerous chemical pollution including GHG in developing countries.
iii) The need for transfer and dissemination of green technology in management of chemicals.
iv) Support to capacity building and financing to community projects for management of chemicals and electronic waste

To conclude, we look forward to successful deliberations.

I thank you Mr. Chairman.